Research presentation
Birgitta Wiitavaara
Associate Professor, Ph.D. in Nursing Science, Registered Nurse
Research subject: Occupational Health Sciences
Email: birgitta.wiitavaara@hig.se
Telephone: +46 26 64 84 05
Mobile: +46 70 345 72 14
CURRENT RESEARCH
- DisA - Working at a distance - opportunities and consequences for university teachers. A doctoral project where I am the main supervisor for the doctoral student Linda Widar. The overall purpose of the thesis work is to investigate how teleworking is practiced by, and affect, university teachers. Furthermore, the purpose is to investigate the experiences of the first-line managers of leading a personnel group that works to a varying extent from a distance.
- MätFunk - Measuring Physical Function. A series of literature reviews on questionnaires that measure physical function in musculoskeletal disorders, with ICF classification of the questionnaire's content and mapping the psychometric testing done on the questionnaires, using the COSMIN check list. Sub-study I + II is published in 2018-19, sub-study III is ongoing.
- PrioSAM Test - Psychometric testing of three questionnaires for measuring systematic work-environment work.
- CUA - A cost-utility analysis to evaluate four treatments for neck-shoulder disorders previously investigated in a RCT-study. Data regarding improvement in the participants´ health profiles related to direct and indirect costs at individual and societal level will be considered
- IMMPACT-PHC. The long-term aim of this project is to evaluate whether internationally recommended outcome measures for clinical pain trials are suitable for use in evaluation of non-specific long-term musculoskeletal disorders and secondly to develop a short form questionnaire. Study I publiched
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Scholarly articles, refereed
Wiitavaara, B., Rissén, D. & Nilsson, A. (2023). Demographic and clinical factors associated with psychological wellbeing in people with chronic, non-specific musculoskeletal pain engaged in multimodal rehabilitation:– A cross-sectional study with a correlational design. Scandinavian Journal of Pain, 23 (4), 705-711. 10.1515/sjpain-2023-0028
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Mutiganda, J., Wiitavaara, B., Heiden, M., Svensson, S., Fagerström, A., Bergström, G. & Aboagye, E. (2022). A systematic review of the research on telework and organizational economic performance indicators. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1035310
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Wiitavaara, B. & Florin, J. (2022). Content and psychometric evaluations of questionnaires for assessing physical function in people with arm – shoulder - hand disorders : A systematic review of the literature. Disability and Rehabilitation, 44 (24), 7575-7586. 10.1080/09638288.2021.1979109
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Widar, L., Heiden, M., Boman, E. & Wiitavaara, B. (2022). How is telework experienced in academia?. Sustainability, 14 (10). 10.3390/su14105745
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Wiitavaara, B., Strömberg, A., Mutiganda, J., Svensson, M., Hallman, D. & Svensson, S. (2022). Like a fire brigade, but without pay - Experiences of temporary employment among workers in Swedish elderly care. Human service organizations, management, leadership & governance. [Submitted]
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Widar, L., Wiitavaara, B., Boman, E. & Heiden, M. (2021). Psychophysiological reactivity, postures and movements among academic staff : A comparison between teleworking days and office days. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (18). 10.3390/ijerph18189537
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Heiden, M., Widar, L., Wiitavaara, B. & Boman, E. (2021). Telework in academia : associations with health and well-being among staff. Higher Education, 81, 707-722. 10.1007/s10734-020-00569-4
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Wiitavaara, B. & Heiden, M. (2020). Content and psychometric evaluations of questionnaires for assessing physical function in people with low back disorders : a systematic review of the literature. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42 (2), 163-172. 10.1080/09638288.2018.1495274
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Wiitavaara, B., Rissén, D., Högberg, H. & Nilsson, A. (2019). Psychometric testing of a short form questionnaire for measurement of health experiences among people with musculoskeletal disorders undergoing multimodal rehabilitation. BMJ Open, 9 (5). 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025103
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Wiitavaara, B. & Heiden, M. (2018). Content and psychometric evaluations of questionnaires for assessing physical function in people with neck disorders – A systematic review of the literature. Disability and Rehabilitation, 40 (19), 2227-2235. 10.1080/09638288.2017.1334096
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Nordlöf, H., Wiitavaara, B., Högberg, H. & Westerling, R. (2017). A cross-sectional study of factors influencing occupational health and safety management practices in companies. Safety Science, 95, 92-103. 10.1016/j.ssci.2017.02.008
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Wiitavaara, B., Fahlström, M. & Djupsjöbacka, M. (2017). Prevalence, diagnostics, and management of musculoskeletal disorders in primary health care in Sweden : an investigation of 2000 randomly selected patient records. Journal of Evaluation In Clinical Practice, 23 (2), 325-332. 10.1111/jep.12614
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Björklund, M., Wiitavaara, B. & Heiden, M. (2017). Responsiveness and minimal important change for the ProFitMap-neck questionnaire and the Neck Disability Index in women with neck-shoulder pain. Quality of Life Research, 26 (1), 161-170. 10.1007/s11136-016-1373-8
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Wiitavaara, B., Bengs, C. & Brulin, C. (2016). Well, I'm healthy, but... : lay perspectives on health among people with musculoskeletal disorders. Disability and Rehabilitation, 38 (1), 71-80. 10.3109/09638288.2015.1024338
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Nordlöf, H., Wiitavaara, B., Winblad, U., Wijk, K. & Westerling, R. (2015). Safety culture and reasons for risk-taking at a large steel-manufacturing company : Investigating the worker perspective. Safety Science, 73, 126-135. 10.1016/j.ssci.2014.11.020
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Wiitavaara, B., Björklund, M. & Nilsson, A. (2012). An initial factor analysis of prominent aspects of health experiences for women with neck-shoulder pain. Disability and Rehabilitation, 34 (11), 934-942. 10.3109/09638288.2011.628436
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Wiitavaara, B., Björklund, M., Brulin, C. & Djupsjöbacka, M. (2009). How well do questionnaires on symptoms in neck-shoulder disorders capture the experiences of those who suffer from the disorders? : A content analysis of questionnaires and interviews. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 10 (1). 10.1186/1471-2474-10-30
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Wiitavaara, B., Brulin, C. & Barnekow-Bergkvist, M. (2008). When the body makes itself heard : the experience of bodily illness among people with neck-shoulder problems. Advances in Physiotherapy, 10 (2), 85-94. 10.1080/14038190701760627
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Wiitavaara, B., Lundman, B., Barnekow-Bergkvist, M. & Brulin, C. (2007). Striking a balance - health experiences of male ambulance personnel with musculoskeletal symptoms : a grounded theory. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 44 (5), 770-779. 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2006.02.007
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Wiitavaara, B., Barnekow-Bergkvist, M. & Brulin, C. (2007). Striving for balance : a grounded theory study of health experiences of nurses with musculoskeletal problems.. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 44 (8), 1379-1390. 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2006.07.009
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Scholarly articles, non-refereed
Wiitavaara, B., Bengs, C. & Brulin, C. (2015). Lekmannaperspektiv på hälsa bland personer med muskuloskeletala besvär. Best Practice : Smärta, 4 (10), 20-23.
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